Tennessee passes law regulating animal chiropractic care

Tennessee has passed legislation regulating animal chiropractic care. Senate Bill 0128 / House Bill 0164, which Gov. Bill Lee signed into law on May 2, establishes certification requirements for doctors of chiropractic and veterinarians to provide chiropractic services to animals.

The law becomes effective January 1, 2026.

Animal chiropractic certification and oversight

The new law clearly defines animal chiropractic and excludes surgery, medication prescription and broader veterinary medical procedures from that definition. To practice it, DCs must obtain certification from the Tennessee Board of Chiropractic Examiners (BCE) to perform animal chiropractic. Similarly, veterinarians must be certified by the Tennessee Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners (BVE). Both boards are required to maintain public lists of certified practitioners.

Once certified, DCs must complete an additional six hours of annual continuing education specific to animal chiropractic.

Certifications in animal chiropractic already exist, but have not been universally adopted by states as a standard for permitting practice. The two main certifications, available to veterinarians as well as DCs, are issued by the American Veterinary Chiropractic Association and the International Veterinary Chiropractic Association. Both require completion of an approximately 200-hour postgraduate program and passing an exam.

Tennessee and beyond

With this legislation, Tennessee joins the majority of other US states that have imposed restrictions on animal chiropractic.

Practicing on animals is against the law for DCs in Alabama, Alaska and Kentucky, whereas in other states, including Mississippi, DCs may perform chiropractic on animals but only under the direct supervision of a veterinarian.

Several states have recently worked on legislation to amend rules surrounding animal chiropractic, with varying degrees of success. In Minnesota, for example, Senate File 1686, which would allow licensed DCs to practice on animals provided they are registered with the state’s board of chiropractic examiners, is currently under consideration. A similar bill under committee review in California, Senate Bill 687, would permit DCs to practice without the supervision of a veterinarian if they get a certification from the American or International Veterinary Chiropractic Association.

LD 1220 in Maine, which recently failed in its attempt to allows DCs to treat dogs and horses without a veterinarian’s referral required, is under a “sunrise review,” a term applied when lawmakers want to step back and evaluate whether a proposed regulation of an occupation is truly necessary to protect the public. Sunrise reviews typically take place in cases where a profession seeks expansion of its rights or a new or previously unlicensed profession seeks licensure.

Animal chiropractic benefits

Chiropractic’s founder D.D. Palmer and his son, B.J. Palmer, believed chiropractic care was as useful to animals as it was to people. A wealth of anecdotal evidence supports its health benefits for animals, though formal research in the field is limited.

As in humans, chiropractic adjustments and techniques adapted for animals can help improve mobility, enhance joint function and flexibility, ease pain and support postsurgical recovery. For performance animals such as racehorses and working dogs, chiropractic care can facilitate increased agility and reduce the risk of injury.

A growing body of evidence supports chiropractic’s efficacy in treating horses, for example, a 2022 study suggesting chiropractic treatments can improve equine movement, joint mobilization and spinal symmetry.¹ A canine study focused on Boxer puppies showed an association between early, regular chiropractic care and decreased incidence of developing Spondylosis deformans, a spinal disease to which the breed is predisposed.²

Chiropractic Economics will keep this article updated with any new legislative developments.

References

1. Haussler KK. Joint Mobilization and Manipulation for the Equine Athlete. Vet Clin North Am Equine Pract. 2016 Apr;32(1):87-101. PubMed. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27012508/. Accessed May 16, 2025.
2. Halle KS, Granhus A. Veterinary Chiropractic Treatment as a Measure to Prevent the Occurrence of Spondylosis in Boxers. Vet Sci. 2021 Sep 17;8(9):199. PubMed. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34564593/. Accessed May 15, 2025.